Movable bulkheads for swimming pools have been constructed of a variety of materials, such as aluminum, stainless steel or fiberglass, and have been equipped with wheels which ride upon the channel or deck of a pool to provide the bulkhead with mobility. Stark discloses in U.S. Pat. No. 3,935,599 a movable swimming pool bulkhead with end rollers to allow movement. Stark also discloses in U.S. Pat. No. 3,842,484 a method of constructing a movable swimming pool bulkhead. Conventional bulkheads which employ wheels for movement, however, are sometimes difficult to move in the pool.
Swimming pool bulkheads frequently may be moved in the pool for cleaning and for dividing the pool into various lengths. These bulkheads can be 75 feet in length and are very heavy. To assist in moving the bulkhead in the pool, Stark discloses in U.S. Pat. No. 4,574,404 a submersible swimming pool bulkhead which utilizes buoyancy chambers for movement. The length and weight of such a bulkhead, however, may make it difficult to move, and the bulkhead may tend to "tip" or rotate around the lengthwise axis of the bulkhead when in its buoyant and movable state.
Therefore, it is an object of the present invention to provide a swimming pool bulkhead that is more stable during movement. It is another object of the invention to provide buoyancy in a swimming pool bulkhead at opposite ends of the bulkhead and at transversely spaced locations so that the increased buoyancy occurs at separated locations for raising the bulkhead uniformly.
As mentioned above, swimming pool bulkheads can be over 75 feet in length. The normal allowable length for transporting a bulkhead on the highways without costly permits a warning vehicles is about 40 feet. Thus, transporting a long bulkhead can be expensive. In addition, long bulkheads are difficult to maneuver in covered pool facilities. Thus, it is also an object of the present invention to provide a swimming pool bulkhead that is more convenient to transport, construct and install.
It is another object of the invention to provide a method and apparatus for dividing a long bulkhead into sections and connecting the bulkhead sections at the pool site.
Other objects and advantages of the invention will become apparent upon reading the following detailed description and upon reference to the attached drawings.